"Unless your advertising contains a big idea, it will pass like a ship in the night."
The wise words of David Ogilvy, the man who many cite as the "Father of Advertising". In New York in 1948, David Ogilvy founded the agency that would become Ogilvy & Mather. It was based on the idea that advertising to be successful - you have to sell.
Decades later Ogilvy arrived on the continent in 1991, with offices already established in Hong Kong in 1972 and Taipei in 1985. The agency is now the largest in Greater China employs over 2,400 across 29 offices in 18 markets ranging from the first to third tier cities.
This year, Ogilvy China celebrated its 20th anniversary and we wanted to know more about how the agency has built a name for itself in the People's Republic of China and the main challenges it has faced over the two decades.
To answer these questions and many more, are two people who have helped shape the success of Ogilvy in mainland China. So without further a do I present, in their first ever joint interview, the president of the agency T.b. Song and CEO Shenan Chuang.
T.b. Song (right) is probably one of, if not, announces the most experienced man in China with over 40 years experience in the communications industry, 30 of which have been with Ogilvy. T.b. began his career in Taiwan in the 1970s In 1991, he was appointed Chairman of Ogilvy & Mather China, with responsibility for the development of the market of Mainland China, starting with Shanghai. In 1998 he became a member of the board Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide. Named the Global Power List 2010 campaign, T.b. is often recognized for his extensive contributions to the announcement of the Chinese industry and was honored as a "life counselor" to China 4A (China Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies), the industry body, he helped establish in 2006.
that same year he was also selected as president of WPP Greater China, a position he still holds today. Shenan Chuang (left) has been with the agency for over 27 years, also leaving Ogilvy career in the Taipei office and moved to Beijing in 2003 as President of Ogilvy Beijing Office. Her colleagues describe her as a "leader and renowned professional" and in 2010 she received the coveted Agency Head of the Year in Greater China "awarded by the Asia campaign, a title she also won in 2006 when Beijing Ogilvy was appointed simultaneously Office Year in Asia.
source Chinasmaks
Shenan Ogilvy was carried forward in China and across its other role as President of the 4As three times China has had a galvanizing effect to demonstrate the importance of advertising for brands in China. In 2010, his influence has been recognized by Fortune magazine in China which ranked 23rd among the women in business in China, while China Entrepreneur Magazine also has its name among the "most influential leaders Businesswoman" . A níhǎo and hello to both of them, and a very warm welcome to chinaSMACK. Can you tell us about your background, where you were each made up? Shenan: I grew up with a family in the city of Tainan culture in Taiwan. We lived in a house style of the court in an urban area so it was unique establishment. My grandfather was a silversmith "ECD" known in my hometown, so I guess you can say I inherited a passion for creativity. I'm from Taiwan and I studied banking and management at the University of Taipei. I moved to Shanghai in 1991, when Ogilvy created a joint venture with Shanghai Advertising Group.
My first job was with a local advertising agency in Taipei named Guo Hua and I've been in this industry since. I worked in advertising for about 3.5 years before I joined Cathay Advertising (Guo Tai Jian Ye) in 1980.
My first job was as a clerk at a trading company that exported waterproof. My mother found this job before graduating because she was afraid that I would not be able to find a job. So I only had three days off between my university degree and start my first job. It did not last long though. In the first year of my career, I tried four different jobs in the commercial sector, so I realized it was not the right fit for me. It was really dull this year convinced me to re-shape my dreams. Why do you want to work in advertising? T.B. When I graduated from college, it was not easy to find a job. Thus, through the contacts of my father, I am able to get a job in a local agency called Guo Hua. I worked there for a while when I'm another offer from a bank but at that time I did not want to leave, even though the bank's position has offered a much higher salary TWD 12,000. All I did TWD 3500 per month currently in Guo Hua. Shenan: When I was growing up I always wanted to be a writer. In college I majored in history and became very interested in communications and journalism. At that time, communications have led to only two career paths - journalism and advertising. First, I tried journalism. I sent so many resumes, but I could not find a job. So I decided I had to change my career so I tried advertising. I started as an assistant at a local office in Taipei. They said I was overqualified for the job, but I told them to give me a year just to prove that I could be a good manager account. So that's where I started. My first account was Bristol Myers. It was a very good account to start because it was an international client.
What attracted you to work for Ogilvy & Mather?
Read: Confessions of an Advertising Man Shenan: I wanted to work for an international agency because I thought they would be more professional. I am also very attracted by Ogilvy because I heard on all training opportunities out there and have read a lot about David Ogilvy and Ogilvy culture. I joined because I wanted Ogilvy training and I do not worry about my starting salary, even if it was less than my previous work. T.B. Ogilvy came into my life when I worked at Cathay advertising that was in joint venture talks with Ogilvy at the time. So, I was part of the team that established a technical relationship between Cathay Advertising and Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide in 1981. This led to the introduction of Western concepts and advertising systems in Cathay. In 1985, when I worked for about 3 years, I directed the office of about 80 people as Deputy General Manager. In 1985, Cathay and Ogilvy & Mather created a joint venture and Ogilvy & Mather Taiwan was established as the first agency in Taiwan with foreign investments. At that time, ME was general manager of the agency. Do you think 20 years of these objectives have been achieved? T.B. Yes certainly. Given the opportunity to redo the last two decades, I really would not do anything differently. How are you celebrating the milestone of 20 years? Shenan: Each of the Ogilvy offices in mainland China celebrated our 20th anniversary in their own ways. To deepen the "roots" of Ogilvy China, Beijing staff spent an afternoon planting trees and ended the night with a party in his longtime personal honor that helped Ogilvy Beijing growth over the past 20 years. To celebrate the centenary of David Ogilvy, who fell at the same time, we asked the staff to share their own creativity by submitting their own work of art they create in their spare time. So "O Gallery" of the Beijing office is now exhibited 100 works of art created by 100 staff. The Shanghai office invited all their employees and alumni to join a large 20th birthday party at a blues and jazz club.
Part of the former was also held at the office of Guangzhou, with shows and recognition granted Ogilvy staff. We also take the opportunity to publicly celebrate by sharing our story through various social media activities on our Ogilvy Weibo and Twitter. Each of you has been at Ogilvy for about 30 years. How is it that you both remained so long, especially in an industry where people travel all the time? Shenan This is my 27 years at Ogilvy and I never wanted to leave because my role has continually evolved during my time here. Each step offered new challenges, different rules and I enjoyed working with so many people, different leaders, partners and teams. We became friends and family to the other over the years. This work has allowed me to grow and become a better person. TB: As Shenan, the main reason I went so long is because my role and work have constantly evolved. There are always new things to do and I love the culture of this company. We respect people, knowledge and creativity. Among them, people are the most important. We appreciate the training and development. Another reason is because our regional and global leadership have always respected China and treat us as valued partners. Of course, now we became friends after working together for so long and I really enjoy working alongside people who want to achieve something together we can be proud of.
So why Ogilvy & Mather go to China in the first place? What was the Shanghai office as at the beginning? TB: first office in Greater China Ogilvy opened in Hong Kong in 1972 and the second was in Taiwan in 1985. In 1991, we opened our first representative office in Shanghai continent because our customer Unilever wanted to move their Asia headquarters in Shanghai so that we signed a joint venture agreement with Shanghai Advertising Group. In the beginning: Ogilvy China management team (CEO Worldwide Miles Young, rear center of the line; T.b., 3rd back row from left, and Shenan before line 4 from left to right) In 1992, we opened our representative office in Beijing and Guangzhou in 1993. In 1995, we launched the PR discipline and OgilvyOne in 1997. We have worked closely with the regional management team to decide when to open offices. Our first customer was Unilever continent and the second was VW Santana.
VW Santana Commercial, 1997 (Watch on Tudou) The TVC shows a VW Santana cruise through the different regions of China, from urban to rural areas and deserts to rivers. The campaign slogan, "With Santana, there is no fear wherever you go" has been used for nearly a decade.
In Shanghai, we started with 20 people. Everyone was either the executive or the input level. There was no middle managers at the time. We had to hire people without experience in advertising or marketing that the industry was so new. So we placed an advertisement in a line Xinmin Evening News said that "happy place of work." We received 1200 applications. Because the industry was so new to China, so it was difficult to hire people with advertising or marketing experience so we hired artists, designers and marketing professors and literature. All the staff were local hires except Taiwanese expatriates. Fortunately, it does was not too difficult to convince people to join us because many people wanted to join the multinational and we paid more than the average wage. entry level wages at that time began to 200-300 RMB month.
The number of employees increased rapidly Our first Westerner or "lǎowài" was Scott Kronick who came to Taiwan from our New York office in 1990. Scott is still with us today in Beijing as president of Ogilvy PR, North Asia. When we started all our customers were multinationals that wanted to enter China and we have worked with people of their commercial services. Many TVC then we ran were 30 second spots because it was cheaper at the time. Now it is mostly 15-second ads. In the early days, the hardest part was staff training because improving professional skills takes time and experience. At the time, people thought it would be impossible to train staff from the mainland to become managers. If you look around our offices today, you will see just how wrong they were! We have so many very competent managers and trained locally now.
A funny memory I have of those early days is that many of our staff would stay and discuss the work in the house of the Director General. They would even shower in place because many apartments do not have private showers at that time.
The wise words of David Ogilvy, the man who many cite as the "Father of Advertising". In New York in 1948, David Ogilvy founded the agency that would become Ogilvy & Mather. It was based on the idea that advertising to be successful - you have to sell.
David Ogilvy - The original Mad Man
This year, Ogilvy China celebrated its 20th anniversary and we wanted to know more about how the agency has built a name for itself in the People's Republic of China and the main challenges it has faced over the two decades.
To answer these questions and many more, are two people who have helped shape the success of Ogilvy in mainland China. So without further a do I present, in their first ever joint interview, the president of the agency T.b. Song and CEO Shenan Chuang.
T.b. Song (right) is probably one of, if not, announces the most experienced man in China with over 40 years experience in the communications industry, 30 of which have been with Ogilvy. T.b. began his career in Taiwan in the 1970s In 1991, he was appointed Chairman of Ogilvy & Mather China, with responsibility for the development of the market of Mainland China, starting with Shanghai. In 1998 he became a member of the board Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide. Named the Global Power List 2010 campaign, T.b. is often recognized for his extensive contributions to the announcement of the Chinese industry and was honored as a "life counselor" to China 4A (China Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies), the industry body, he helped establish in 2006.
that same year he was also selected as president of WPP Greater China, a position he still holds today. Shenan Chuang (left) has been with the agency for over 27 years, also leaving Ogilvy career in the Taipei office and moved to Beijing in 2003 as President of Ogilvy Beijing Office. Her colleagues describe her as a "leader and renowned professional" and in 2010 she received the coveted Agency Head of the Year in Greater China "awarded by the Asia campaign, a title she also won in 2006 when Beijing Ogilvy was appointed simultaneously Office Year in Asia.
Interview of Shenan , creative director advertising Agency
source Chinasmaks
Shenan Ogilvy was carried forward in China and across its other role as President of the 4As three times China has had a galvanizing effect to demonstrate the importance of advertising for brands in China. In 2010, his influence has been recognized by Fortune magazine in China which ranked 23rd among the women in business in China, while China Entrepreneur Magazine also has its name among the "most influential leaders Businesswoman" . A níhǎo and hello to both of them, and a very warm welcome to chinaSMACK. Can you tell us about your background, where you were each made up? Shenan: I grew up with a family in the city of Tainan culture in Taiwan. We lived in a house style of the court in an urban area so it was unique establishment. My grandfather was a silversmith "ECD" known in my hometown, so I guess you can say I inherited a passion for creativity. I'm from Taiwan and I studied banking and management at the University of Taipei. I moved to Shanghai in 1991, when Ogilvy created a joint venture with Shanghai Advertising Group.
What was your first job when you graduated from college?
My first job was with a local advertising agency in Taipei named Guo Hua and I've been in this industry since. I worked in advertising for about 3.5 years before I joined Cathay Advertising (Guo Tai Jian Ye) in 1980.
My first job was as a clerk at a trading company that exported waterproof. My mother found this job before graduating because she was afraid that I would not be able to find a job. So I only had three days off between my university degree and start my first job. It did not last long though. In the first year of my career, I tried four different jobs in the commercial sector, so I realized it was not the right fit for me. It was really dull this year convinced me to re-shape my dreams. Why do you want to work in advertising? T.B. When I graduated from college, it was not easy to find a job. Thus, through the contacts of my father, I am able to get a job in a local agency called Guo Hua. I worked there for a while when I'm another offer from a bank but at that time I did not want to leave, even though the bank's position has offered a much higher salary TWD 12,000. All I did TWD 3500 per month currently in Guo Hua. Shenan: When I was growing up I always wanted to be a writer. In college I majored in history and became very interested in communications and journalism. At that time, communications have led to only two career paths - journalism and advertising. First, I tried journalism. I sent so many resumes, but I could not find a job. So I decided I had to change my career so I tried advertising. I started as an assistant at a local office in Taipei. They said I was overqualified for the job, but I told them to give me a year just to prove that I could be a good manager account. So that's where I started. My first account was Bristol Myers. It was a very good account to start because it was an international client.
What attracted you to work for Ogilvy & Mather?
Read: Confessions of an Advertising Man Shenan: I wanted to work for an international agency because I thought they would be more professional. I am also very attracted by Ogilvy because I heard on all training opportunities out there and have read a lot about David Ogilvy and Ogilvy culture. I joined because I wanted Ogilvy training and I do not worry about my starting salary, even if it was less than my previous work. T.B. Ogilvy came into my life when I worked at Cathay advertising that was in joint venture talks with Ogilvy at the time. So, I was part of the team that established a technical relationship between Cathay Advertising and Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide in 1981. This led to the introduction of Western concepts and advertising systems in Cathay. In 1985, when I worked for about 3 years, I directed the office of about 80 people as Deputy General Manager. In 1985, Cathay and Ogilvy & Mather created a joint venture and Ogilvy & Mather Taiwan was established as the first agency in Taiwan with foreign investments. At that time, ME was general manager of the agency. Do you think 20 years of these objectives have been achieved? T.B. Yes certainly. Given the opportunity to redo the last two decades, I really would not do anything differently. How are you celebrating the milestone of 20 years? Shenan: Each of the Ogilvy offices in mainland China celebrated our 20th anniversary in their own ways. To deepen the "roots" of Ogilvy China, Beijing staff spent an afternoon planting trees and ended the night with a party in his longtime personal honor that helped Ogilvy Beijing growth over the past 20 years. To celebrate the centenary of David Ogilvy, who fell at the same time, we asked the staff to share their own creativity by submitting their own work of art they create in their spare time. So "O Gallery" of the Beijing office is now exhibited 100 works of art created by 100 staff. The Shanghai office invited all their employees and alumni to join a large 20th birthday party at a blues and jazz club.
Part of the former was also held at the office of Guangzhou, with shows and recognition granted Ogilvy staff. We also take the opportunity to publicly celebrate by sharing our story through various social media activities on our Ogilvy Weibo and Twitter. Each of you has been at Ogilvy for about 30 years. How is it that you both remained so long, especially in an industry where people travel all the time? Shenan This is my 27 years at Ogilvy and I never wanted to leave because my role has continually evolved during my time here. Each step offered new challenges, different rules and I enjoyed working with so many people, different leaders, partners and teams. We became friends and family to the other over the years. This work has allowed me to grow and become a better person. TB: As Shenan, the main reason I went so long is because my role and work have constantly evolved. There are always new things to do and I love the culture of this company. We respect people, knowledge and creativity. Among them, people are the most important. We appreciate the training and development. Another reason is because our regional and global leadership have always respected China and treat us as valued partners. Of course, now we became friends after working together for so long and I really enjoy working alongside people who want to achieve something together we can be proud of.
So why Ogilvy & Mather go to China in the first place? What was the Shanghai office as at the beginning? TB: first office in Greater China Ogilvy opened in Hong Kong in 1972 and the second was in Taiwan in 1985. In 1991, we opened our first representative office in Shanghai continent because our customer Unilever wanted to move their Asia headquarters in Shanghai so that we signed a joint venture agreement with Shanghai Advertising Group. In the beginning: Ogilvy China management team (CEO Worldwide Miles Young, rear center of the line; T.b., 3rd back row from left, and Shenan before line 4 from left to right) In 1992, we opened our representative office in Beijing and Guangzhou in 1993. In 1995, we launched the PR discipline and OgilvyOne in 1997. We have worked closely with the regional management team to decide when to open offices. Our first customer was Unilever continent and the second was VW Santana.
VW Santana Commercial, 1997 (Watch on Tudou) The TVC shows a VW Santana cruise through the different regions of China, from urban to rural areas and deserts to rivers. The campaign slogan, "With Santana, there is no fear wherever you go" has been used for nearly a decade.
In Shanghai, we started with 20 people. Everyone was either the executive or the input level. There was no middle managers at the time. We had to hire people without experience in advertising or marketing that the industry was so new. So we placed an advertisement in a line Xinmin Evening News said that "happy place of work." We received 1200 applications. Because the industry was so new to China, so it was difficult to hire people with advertising or marketing experience so we hired artists, designers and marketing professors and literature. All the staff were local hires except Taiwanese expatriates. Fortunately, it does was not too difficult to convince people to join us because many people wanted to join the multinational and we paid more than the average wage. entry level wages at that time began to 200-300 RMB month.
The number of employees increased rapidly Our first Westerner or "lǎowài" was Scott Kronick who came to Taiwan from our New York office in 1990. Scott is still with us today in Beijing as president of Ogilvy PR, North Asia. When we started all our customers were multinationals that wanted to enter China and we have worked with people of their commercial services. Many TVC then we ran were 30 second spots because it was cheaper at the time. Now it is mostly 15-second ads. In the early days, the hardest part was staff training because improving professional skills takes time and experience. At the time, people thought it would be impossible to train staff from the mainland to become managers. If you look around our offices today, you will see just how wrong they were! We have so many very competent managers and trained locally now.
A funny memory I have of those early days is that many of our staff would stay and discuss the work in the house of the Director General. They would even shower in place because many apartments do not have private showers at that time.
Advertising in China is going digital and mobile
Far from when the world came into existence, the man is trying to get latest and easier ways to attain pleasure. As same as other tracks of life, the man has developed the new advertising methods and new techniques related to the modern technology. The current technology has made not only the world fast, more simple but it also has changed the ways of living of new items including all types of productions. Talking about all kinds of progress in the technology of all eras, we can say that the technology is at its peak in this modern world. As in the past few decades technology has evolved considerably, and where we are today, we were not a few decades ago.
